Learn about smart cities and communities infrastructure, which has emerged to represent technology-driven urban benefits. Smart cities and communities infrastructure enables governments and municipalities to focus on businesses, and give people access to a comfortable and convenient environment, with solutions that leads to transforming lives for a better tomorrow.

By Ashok Debnath

What are Smart Cities and Communities, and why do we need them? Who will lead the Smart Cities Infrastructure, and what is the role of IoT in Smart Cities? Which implementation challenges and obstacles are faced, and what are the key drivers for Smart Cities Infrastructure?

Find the answer to these and many more questions in our whitepaper ‘Smart Cities and Communities Infrastructure’ (see download on this page). Below is a preview of the whitepaper:  

Why do we need smart cities?  

Today, 55% of the world's population lives in urban areas. This number is estimated to increase to nearly 66% by 2050, according to the UN Department of Economics and Social Affairs. The global challenges of rapid urban population growth, climate change, and pressure on resources, infrastructure and the provision of services can all start to be addressed at the city scale.

On the one hand, the world's growing cities can easily become chaotic and disordered places which contribute further to climate change. However, to make the growing importance of the world's cities a positive force in the quest to develop a sustainable living, smart and innovative solutions for cities are needed. The concept of the 'Smart Cities and Communities' has been developed as a natural response to the process of urbanization, the economic importance of cities, and the increasing demand for sustainable living. 

What are Smart Cities and Communities? 

In Denmark, Smart Cities and Communities projects have been carried out in many towns and cities, usually by the municipal government in collaboration with business and academia. For governments, the Smart Cities and Communities is attractive because it represents an opportunity to improve its towns and cities and to access a large global market. Most of the governments are ramping up their efforts to remove barriers that are preventing regional and municipal governments from applying Smart Cities and Communities solutions and local businesses from developing and exporting related products and services.

Smart Cities and Communities adopt innovative technologies capable of improving the lives of its citizens. That also means empowering citizens to improve their lives through better access to data and public services. 

Smart Cities and Communities Infrastructure Group 

FORCE Technology and the national coordination group for Smart Cities and Communities Infrastructure have created a discussion forum concerning the overall challenges for smart cities. The "Smart Cities and Communities infrastructure" group identified key challenges and opportunities in each sector. The group has also identified challenges to achieve overall objectives, and these challenges are found to be both technical (security, interoperability, privacy) and non-technical (financial, governance, political). Smart cities and communities infrastructure includes but is not limited to: 

  • IoT platforms, communication networks and sensors. 
  • IT platforms for operations in the municipalities - excluding government technology systems. 
  • Open data/sharing and data exchange systems. 
  • Connectivity and Inter-operability of systems.
  • Cybersecurity systems, processes and incidence response teams. 
  • Innovation, competence and funding infrastructure.
  • Citizen engagement platforms. 
  • Physical infrastructures such as: roads, public transportation, water supply, energy (gas, electricity, district heating) supply, lighting, waste and wastewater, buildings and city spaces, crime detection, Kiosk based information systems, Street lights. 

Role of IoT in Smart Cities 

We are in the age of disruptive revolution, and IoT (Internet of Things) is one of the key technologies for a rapidly growing number of digital devices. IoT infrastructure allows to capture meaningful data and further enable innovative business models with opportunities to monetize data by both municipal and private entities.

Connected technologies and IoT solutions for smart cities play important roles in transforming cities into smart cities. Implementing a smart city with IoT and connected technology helps to enhance the quality, performance, and interactivity of urban services, optimize resources and reduce costs.

IoT offers new opportunities for smart cities challenges like using data to e.g., manage traffic, parking, water supplies, efficient lighting, waste garbage collection and disposal system, cut pollution and make better use of infrastructure and keep citizens safe and clean.  

Read the full whitepaper  

Download our whitepaper ‘Smart Cities and Communities Infrastructure’ to find out more about how smart cities infrastructure can respond to the needs and challenges of smart cities.  

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